


Creation Myth

by lamardeuse



Series: Two Men and a Baby [4]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-20
Updated: 2010-05-20
Packaged: 2017-10-09 14:31:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/88470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lamardeuse/pseuds/lamardeuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the <em>Two Men and a Baby</em> 'verse. Duncan learns about his mother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Creation Myth

**Author's Note:**

> For Tex.

“John?”

 

“Yeah, buddy?” When he was met with silence, John looked down to see Duncan staring at his lap and chewing his lip nervously. He hadn't done that for a couple of years, since he'd been eight and John had convinced Rodney to quit trying to teach him string theory.

 

“Hey, what's wrong?” he asked, slinging an arm around Duncan's slim shoulders.

 

Duncan darted a glance at John, then looked down again. “I, um. I was wondering if you could tell me about my mom.”

 

John opened his mouth, then closed it. Wow, okay, that wasn't what he'd been expecting. “Have you talked to your dad about this?”

 

Dunc made a face. “I tried a few times. He always gets an urgent call from the lab or the tower as soon as I do.”

 

“Oh, well, uh.” John thought about making an excuse for Rodney, then sighed and gave it up.

 

Duncan shrugged under John's arm. “I figured since he doesn't want to talk about it, she must have died or something.”

 

“Oh, Dunc, no, she didn't die,” John blurted, his instinct to spare the boy pain getting ahead of his brain. He knew he'd screwed up big time when Duncan started and stared at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

 

“You mean she's still alive? Where is she? Can I meet her?”

 

John had a brief sensation of drowning in his own stupidity. “Look, Dunc, it's kind of – complicated. It's great that you have questions about where you came from, it's really great, but this is something your dad ought to be here for, too. Why don't we talk about it after supper tonight, okay? I'll make sure Rodney doesn't get – uh, interrupted, and we'll do this right?”

 

The kid was practically vibrating with excitement, so it took a few seconds for his face to fall when he realized he wasn't going to be getting the answers he'd been craving right this second. John sympathized with him; when you were ten, six hours seemed like six centuries when you wanted something. “Okay,” Dunc said in a small, resigned voice, and John's heart twisted; how long had Rodney been blowing him off about this?

 

“Hey,” John said, squeezing his shoulders gently until Dunc looked up at him again, “have I ever lied to you?”

 

“No,” Duncan said immediately, gaze direct and trusting.

 

“We're gonna tell you everything you want to know tonight. That's a promise.” As Duncan nodded solemnly, John kept his expression neutral and reassuring, hoping there was no trace of the blind, desperate panic he was feeling.

 

 

 

 

    
    
    
    
 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

    
    
    
    
 

 

 

 

 

 

“What are you, insane? We can't tell him where he came from!”

 

John leaned back in his office chair and pinched the skin between his brows as Rodney paced in front of his desk. He was pretty sure he could feel a debilitating migraine coming on. “We have to. He asked, so we're telling him.”

 

“And what are we going to tell him? You already pissed away the plan I had!”

 

John frowned. “Wait a minute. Are you saying you were going to tell him that his mother was _dead_?”

 

Rodney stopped pacing. Lifting his chin defensively, he said, “Maybe?”

 

“Geez, Rodney,” John groaned, resting his elbows on the desk and placing his head in his hands.

 

“Well, what do you want to tell him, that he was hatched by crazy people in an Ancient Easy-Bake Incubator using my stolen DNA? Do you expect he's going to react well to that?”

 

“Just because you didn't doesn't mean he's gonna do the same,” John bit out, instantly regretting it when Rodney's face fell in much the same way as Duncan's. “Okay, look, that was dumb, I'm sorry.”

 

Rodney's mouth thinned. “You're right. I didn't react well. And I don't care what we end up telling him, but he's never going to know that I felt that way.  _ Never _ , do you understand? ” 

 

There was a vehemence in Rodney's tone that only came out when he was really pissed off – or really scared. “This isn't just about explaining the freaky Ancient machine, is it?” John asked softly.

 

Rodney folded his arms. “Why would you think that?” he snapped. “Just because my mother frequently told me I was an accident, an unplanned, unwanted inconvenience, why would I want to avoid that for my son? I mean,” he laughed bitterly, gesturing at himself, “look how well I turned out, hm?”

 

“Hey, hey, hey,” John said, rising swiftly to his feet and circling the desk to stand in front of Rodney, running his hands up and down Rodney's biceps until his arms finally unknotted and dropped to his sides, “he's not unwanted. I know you've never made him think that, or feel that. Ever.”

 

“He's going to find out it wasn't my decision to – to have him,” Rodney murmured, his gaze open and frightened. “What if he – thinks less of himself because of it?”

 

“He won't, Rodney. He's got a pretty good head on his shoulders – I know because we helped him put it there. And sure, where you came from has an effect on that. But what's more important is what happens every day, in the ways you tell him and show him how much he means to you. That's what matters most in the end.”

 

Rodney looked at John warily. “You really think so?”

 

John squeezed Rodney's shoulders carefully. “When was the last time you told him you loved him?”

 

Rodney frowned. “Last night? No, this morning, before he left for his literature lesson with Ronon. Why?”

 

John said nothing, just raised his eyebrows expectantly.

 

“Oh,” Rodney said, smile tugging at his mouth. “Right, okay, I see your point.” 

 

Leaning forward, John kissed Rodney softly on the lips, then drew back and smiled. “I figured you would, you being a genius and all.”

 

 

 

 

 

    
    
    
    
 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

    
    
    
    
 

 

 

 

_One Month Later_

 

“Today, we celebrate a life.”

 

Standing beside him, John felt Rodney shift restlessly; he resisted the urge to poke him in the ribs. He supposed if he wanted to be fair, he'd have to do the same to Duncan, who was standing on his other side and was so wound up it was a miracle he didn't just start spinning like a top. Luckily, the priestess didn't seem bothered by the fidgeting, because she smiled and continued. “Doctor Rodney McKay blessed our people by preserving their lives, keeping them safe from the Wraith. In return, we gave him the greatest gift we could bestow: a mirroring of that same precious life.” She nodded at Duncan. “This world is blessed once more by the return of Duncan, son of Rodney and John, who now comes to us as his own creation, unique.” Spreading her arms, she smiled. “Please step forward, Duncan.”

 

Duncan hesitated for only a moment before obeying, and the priestess held up her hands for Duncan to touch. As their palms pressed together, the priestess said, “The Ancestors gave you breath, and Rodney gave you intelligence and strength, and your fathers give you love. With these blessings, there is nothing more you require to fulfill your destiny. Walk in peace, Duncan.”

 

"Walk in peace, L'Teth,” Duncan said, his voice clear and strong, and John felt such pride for him right then that it nearly burst through his chest. 

 

“Hey,” Rodney murmured, and when John turned to him, he saw the same pride reflected in those blue eyes, so like his son's. “That's our kid. Pretty cool, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” John said, smiling back at him. “Pretty cool.”

**Author's Note:**

> First published August 2009.


End file.
